Physiographic features

This site occurs on thick sand sheets that cover fan remnants. Slopes range from 8 to 30 percent. Elevations are 600 to 2000 feet.

Table 2. Representative physiographic features

Climatic features

The climate of the Mojave Desert has extreme fluctuations of daily temperatures, strong seasonal winds, and clear skies. The climate is arid and is characterized with cool, moist winters and hot, dry summers. Most of the rainfall falls between November and April. Summer convection storms from July to September may contribute up to 25 percent of the annual precipitation. Average annual precipitation is 3 to 5 to inches. Mean annual air temperature is 60 to 76 degrees F. The average growing season ranges from 210 to 360 days.

Table 3. Representative climatic features

Influencing water features

There are no influencing water features associated with this site.

Soil features

The soils associated with this site have a surface soil texture of fine or very fine sandy loam typically greater than 7 inches in depth to a soil textural change (i.e. loam) and/or a change in soil structure (i.e. single-grained to platy). The soil surface has a cover of less than 15 percent of small, usually rounded, pebbles (<1.2” diameter). Water intake rates are moderately rapid and available water capacity is very low. The soil series associated with this site include: Commski.

Table 4. Representative soil features

Animal community

Livestock Interpretations:
This site is suitable for livestock grazing. Big galleta is considered a valuable forage plant for cattle and domestic sheep. Its coarse, rigid culms make it relatively resistant to heavy grazing and trampling. Indian ricegrass is highly palatable to all classes of livestock in both green and cured condition. It supplies a source of green feed before most other native grasses have produced much new growth. Sand dropseed provides fair to good forage for livestock. Sand dropseed's value as livestock forage is regional and dependent upon season. If fall rains are adequate, sand dropseed may have a period of renewed growth, producing new shoots in old sheaths. The persistent green base throughout winter makes sand dropseed an important desert winter range plant. In general, sand dropseed provides fair winter forage for domestic sheep and is most preferred by cattle of dune rangelands. Cattle eat mesa dropseed all year long. Use is heaviest during the summer when the plant is actively growing. Mesa dropseed becomes unpalatable and low in nutrition at maturity. White bursage is of intermediate forage value. It is fair to good forage for horses and fair to poor for cattle and sheep. However, because there is often little other forage where white bursage grows, it is often highly valuable to browsing animals and is sensitive to browsing. Creosotebush is unpalatable to livestock. Consumption of creosotebush may be fatal to sheep. Range ratany is an important forage species for all classes of livestock. Palatability of range ratany is rated fair to good for cattle and sheep. White ratany is important forage for all classes of livestock. White ratany decreases in response to grazing. Under heavy grazing pressure white ratany produces phenolic acids to reduce herbivory by reducing the palatability.

Stocking rates vary over time depending upon season of use, climate variations, site, and previous and current management goals. A safe starting stocking rate is an estimated stocking rate that is fine tuned by the client by adaptive management through the year and from year to year.

Wildlife Interpretations:
White bursage is an important browse species for wildlife. Creosotebush is unpalatable to most browsing wildlife. Range ratany is an important forage species for mule deer and bighorn sheep. Mule deer browse range ratany year-long with seasonal peaks. Mule deer peak use is from February to April and from August to October. Black-tailed jack rabbits rely almost exclusively on white ratany during the winter. Indian ricegrass is eaten by pronghorn in moderate amounts whenever available. In Nevada it is consumed by desert bighorns. A number of heteromyid rodents inhabiting desert rangelands show preference for seed of Indian ricegrass. Indian ricegrass is an important component of jackrabbit diets in spring and summer. In Nevada, Indian ricegrass may even dominate jackrabbit diets during the spring through early summer months. Indian ricegrass seed provides food for many species of birds. Doves, for example, eat large amounts of shattered Indian ricegrass seed lying on the ground. Sand dropseed provides poor forage for wildlife. Large mammals in general show little use of sand dropseed. Sand dropseed is not preferred by pronghorn, elk, and deer. Small mammals and birds utilize sand dropseed to a greater extent than large mammals. Pronghorns consume mesa dropseed. Mesa dropseed becomes unpalatable and low in nutrition at maturity.

Hydrological functions

Runoff is medium. Permeability is moderately rapid.

Other products

Indian ricegrass was traditionally eaten by some Native Americans. The Paiutes used seed as a reserve food source. Sand dropseed is an edible grass used by Native Americans. Native Americans used mesa dropseed seeds as food. White bursage is a host for sandfood, a parasitic plant. Sandfood was a valuable food supply for Native Americans. Creosotebush has been highly valued for its medicinal properties by Native Americans. Twigs and leaves may be boiled as tea, steamed, pounded into a powder, pressed into a poultice, or heated into an infusion.

Other information

Big galleta's clumped growth form stabilizes blowing sand. Sand dropseed is recommended as a component of grass seed mixtures for sandy and heavy to semi-sandy soils. Good results are seen reseeding dry low lands receiving less than 9 inches (230mm) of precipitation within rangelands of Nevada. Mesa dropseed stabilizes loose, sandy soils. White bursage may be used to revegetate disturbed sites in southwestern deserts. Once established, creosotebush may improve sites for annuals that grow under its canopy by trapping fine soil, organic matter, and symbiont propagules. It may also increase water infiltration and storage.

Type locality

Other references

Fire Effects Information System (Online; http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/).

USDA-NRCS Plants Database (Online; http://www.plants.usda.gov).

Contributors

GKB/RS

Approval

Kendra Moseley, 3/11/2025